Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1887-01-14
FUNERAL OF A BISHOP.
A HISTORY OF THE CHURCH WORK
OF REV. J. J. CLIO SSBRENNER.
Special to the Bal to. American.1

A HISTORY OF THE CHURCH WORK
OF REV. J. j. CLIO SsBRENNER.
Especial to the Bal to. American
STANTON, VA, January IL
The funeral serv ices of Bishop
John Jacob Gle ssbrenner took
place at Churc nville, Augusta
county, thus MOI ming at eleven
o'clock. The chu rch was heavily
draped in mourn ing, and a large
picture of Bishop Otterbein hung
in the rear of the pulpit. In accor-
dance with the request of Bishop
Glossbrenner 81 lortly before his
death, his bear ers were selected
from the clergy as follows: Rev.
A. NJ. Evers, j. l.. Grimm, G. W.
Stlnespring, II. p. Dyche, S. K.
Wine, A. NJ. 'Herne, A. r. Ham
rick, j. A. Greiner and j. IL. III.
Winfree. AS the casket was borne
into the church the choir sang.
"Asleep in Jesus, blessed sleep"
Rev. DR.. Holt, editor of the Re
ligioUs Telescope, Dayton, o., offer
ed prayer, in which he asked Gods
blessing upon the bereaved family
and church, and especially upon
the many hundreds OF ministers
upon whose heads the hands of the
deceased bishop had been laid IN
the solemn ordination service. lie
also thanked God for the thou
sands of sermons he was enabled
to preach, and for the multitude OF
souls he had led to Christ, and that
his life ended in peace amid the 70.
mantle hills that he loved so well
and in the vicinity where in the
sweet balm of his youth he was per
mitted 10 establish his home. After
prayer, was sung, "Servant OF God,
Well Done" Bishop j. Weaver,
ID. d., of Dayton, o., preached an
eloquent sermon from Revelation
xxi, %, "There shall be no night
there" The Bishop gave the follow
ing biographical sketch of the de-
ceased "IIe was born in Hagers-
town, Md, July 2lth, 1913, and
was aged seventy-three years, five
months and thirteen days. lie was
received into the church in 1873,
licensed to preach in 1881, Ordaln-
ed bishop by Rev. II enry Kumler,
ST., in 1888, served as pastor and
presiding elder fourteen years, and
in 1915 was elected bishop. lie
was reelected nine times, serving
i'll that Office for forty consecutive
years. He was the youngest nan
ever elected to that Office in the
United Brethren church, beng on
ly thirty.two years of age at the
time of his election. In 1885, when
age and failing health rendered
him unable for active service, he
was almost unanimously elected
bishop emeritus Tor life. When the
honor was conferred, more than a
hundred of the delegates came for
ward and asled his hand in con
gratulatiOns. No man in the Unit.
ed Brethren church has ever served
in the office of bishop as long as he,
aud it is doubtful whether any man
will. HIS name will go down into
history as one of the pnrest and
best men of his time, and his eX'
ample as Christian and minister
will never perish. Scores and hun
dreds of ministers, when they learn
of his death, will remember that
his name is signed to their creden'
,ials. Almost forty years ago that
hand, now cold IN death, was LAID
upon my head in ordination. llav.
ing been pressed into the service OF
the ministry when only a boy, he
was denied the opportunity OF a
classical education, but possessing
strong body and vigorous mind,
with powers of penetration and
habits of study, he succeeded IN
gathering a rare store of informa.
ton. His manner in life was calm
and dignifed. | have seen him at
times when storms were threaten
ing the church, yet he was calm
and patient, firm as a rock, yet ten.
der as child. He was eminently
a Gospel preacher. There we're
times when he grew lndescrlbably
eloquent, and did not seem to know
it. Once, after preaching a sermon
in Virginia, an intelligent soldier
" no heard 1t said that for years he
thought he would have liked to
heard st. Paul preach, but now he
was satisfied he had heard a man
preach that came up to his ideal OF
St. Paul. The deceased expressed
a desire shortly before dying that
he might live to preach one more
sermon from the text sit Is be
not afraid" Ills last words were
"My Saviour" An autopsy was
made By Drs. q. 5. Blair aud X. ).
Hammond, and a tumOr Of the
stomach discovered which produced
hemorrhages, and was the lmlne-
date cause of his death.